Shifting between the Elements
by Sweet Ninetails
Summary: When Ash wakes up one day in the middle of a crater, with no memories, what will happen to him? Where have his powers come from? On Hiatus
1. The Shift Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, nor do I have anything to do with it. Ash, Pikachu, etc. are all property of other people (no matter how hard I wish...sigh...)  
  
  
  
Ok, so you know me. Ash Ketchum. Heh, you all used to. I suppose you're wondering what I've been up to. Hell, it's so strange. I woke up in the middle of a burned out crater one day, and my life changed forever. Oh, of course you don't know what I mean. I haven't told anyone else, except those who ended up like me. Well, get comfortable, ok? It's gonna be a long story. It was about...oh, say...5 years ago. This is my story.  
  
"Oh...what happened?"  
  
This was the hoarse groan from a young teen. He was laying in a charred crater, his clothes burned, hair touseled, body bruised and scarred. He sat up painfully, and looked around. He could see nothing familiar...especially down in that crater. If he remembered anything at all. Most of his memories were gone. He stood on shakey legs.  
  
"P-Pikachu?" he called tentively. There was no answer. Instead, his pokeballs fell off his belt, and burst open. His cherished friends of long since battles lay around him in various states of injury. The small yellow Pokemon got up.  
  
"Piiiiiiika..." it strained out. The boy reached down to stroke its fur, then jerked his hand back, looking at it. He must've been seeing things. His hand had glowed slightly...  
  
"Must be the concussion talking..." he murmered, then petted the Pikachu. Pikachu shrieked. He jerked his hand away again. No, there was no mistaking it this time. His hand HAD glowed! And what the...! Pikachu's wounds were healed...  
  
"Did...I do that, Pikachu?" he asked. Pikachu didn't answer, just looked at him, awed. He didn't waste any time thinking about this strange occurence, he used it to his advantage instead, and healed the rest of his Pokemon.  
  
"Let's try to get out of here, Pikachu." the boy said, returning the last Pokemon to its ball. Pikachu jumped up onto the boys shoulder. He dug his fingers into the sides of the crater, and kicked foot holds in. He began to climb. It hurt both his hands on feet, and strained his muscles, but he was soon out. He lay, panting at the top on the edge. He felt warm all over, and looked at his hands in amazement. They had been torn and bleeding a minute ago, but now they were completely healed. He got up.  
  
"L-let's go..." he said shakily. Pikachu agreed.  
  
As they walked further and further from the crater, they could see that they were in the middle of what had been a battle field of some kind. The further they went, they could see burned trees and plants, and knew this had to had been a forest. They came out of the forest, and slipped on...glass?? They got up and looked around. There were patches of glass amoung sand dunes near an ocean. Something hot enough had changed the sand into glass in large patches. He fell to his hands and knees as he fell once again. He caught a look at himself in the reflective surface. His face was bruised and burned lightly brown in patches. His black hair stuck out at odd angles, and fell across one eye. And his eyes...they seemed to change. He dug around in his backpack and pulled out a small mirror, looked, and dropped the mirror with a scream. It shattered on the hard glass. His eyes WERE changing! They were constantly shifting colours; red, blue, yellow, green, purple, grey, black, brown, and any colour between. In the shards of mirror, he could see the shifting slowing down until they stayed on a sort of blue-brown colour with hints of a golden yellow.  
  
"What's happening to me?" he whispered, holding his head as it began to throb. Pikachu shivered, and hid in the boys backpack. The boy threw his head back and screamed, his eyes changing to bright red.  
  
"What's happening to me?!"  
  
He got up and ran, leaving the mirror shards behind as the only evidence that someone had been there at all. 


	2. New friends

I hope you all are enjoying this so far. It'll get better, I promise.  
Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, nor do I have anything to do with it. Ash, Pikachu, etc. are all property of other people (no matter how hard I wish...sigh...)  
  
  
He ran for miles, never seeming to tire at all. He left behind the area of destruction, and came to a beautiful, lush green forest, untouched, undamaged, unspoiled. He ran through the forest, then tripped at the top of a steap riverbank. He slid down, screaming, his eyes changing to yellow-red, and landed in the river. His eyes became as blue as the water. He stood, wobbled out of the water, and collapsed on the far side of the river bank.  
  
  
When he woke up, the boy panicked. He was in a strange place, someones house, laying in a cozy bed. Pikachu was fast asleep at the end of the bed. He sat up just as the door opened. A girl entered, carrying a tray. She had golden hair, and eyes that changed...just like his own!  
  
"Ah, good. You're awake." she said, placing the tray on the floor beside the bed. She kneeled beside him."I was worried about you."  
  
"Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?" he asked.  
  
"My name is Emily. You're in my house. I found you on the riverbank." She smiled, her eyes a-whirl with happy blues, greens, purples, and pinks."It's good that I found you."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Because you would've been Rocket bait, had I not come across you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Let me explain." Emily sighed, folding her hands in her lap."Team Rocket preys on people like us. They...made us who we are. I do not know exactly how, though."  
  
"Just who...what...are we?" he asked, becoming scared.  
  
"I'm not sure. We have just..." Emily shrugged."shifted. Shifted between the elements."  
  
He jerked slightly. Emily continued.  
  
"We can use elemental attacks. We can cause mass destruction if we have to. People fear us. Team Rocket wants us. We're outcasts."  
  
"We can use attacks?"  
  
"Yes." Emily nodded."Some only have one element. Others a few. Only a few of us can control all of them. I think you are just such a person."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"One of the elements I control is Psyhic. I read your mind. What occured is locked away from you for the time being. But what I saw...you lost control. You used the full strength of your powers. It almost destroyed you. Ash."  
  
Ash swallowed.  
  
"Wh-what else do you know?"  
  
"Only that you, like so many others, are a desirable target for Team Rocket. I have to get you out of this forest, and to my eldest brother at Mt.Silver. You'll be safe there." Emily said, then sighed with frustration."But you're too weak for me to move, and you have no control or knowlege of your own powers. And, the longer this delays, the more danger you are in, Ash."  
  
Emily took a cup from the tray, poured some liquid into it, and handed it to Ash.  
  
"Drink this. It'll help speed up your healing power." she instructed. Ash drank the liquid. It tasted sweet, and filled his body with the same warm feeling as before.  
  
"Please tell me, Emily. What do Team Rocket, um, use us...Outcasts, for anyway?"  
  
Emily became sad.  
  
"As new recruits. If they won't comply, they're tortured. Then Team Rocket take over their minds, which is a slow, painful process. If that doesn't work, they're killed. They...took my youngest brother last year. He resisted the longest, to the point where he was permanently blinded by the pain. He used his powers to kill himself before Team Rocket could. I had to stand by and feel him suffering through the link I forged with him. When he died...I went into a fit of rage. I don't quite remember what I did, but it was serious. Several Rockets were dead, and I had leveled one of their bases."  
  
Emily's eyes changed to a blue-black, a mixture of sadness and rage. Ash looked down at his lap, awkwardly. Emily looked back at him.  
  
"You're stronger. Do you feel like going, now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay." Emily stood, and helped Ash up. He grabbed his backpack, and then put Pikachu inside his pokeball. Emily grabbed his hand, and before Ash could say anything, she'd teleported them away from the little house.  
  
  
Ash opened his eyes. Emily and an older man, with hair as equally blond as hers, were standing over him, talking. Emily noticed he'd awakened.  
  
"I should've warned you, Ash." she said, sounding regretful. Her eyes were a worried brown and grey."You weren't ready. I think it sent you into shock."  
  
"I feel fine now."  
  
"That's because you know recover." the man said, reaching down. He pulled Ash up, then turned back to Emily.  
  
"They've taken someone from near the Silence Bridge." he said, concerned."My mind is tired, so can you get in touch with her?"  
  
"I'll try." Emily said. She seemed to concentrate, then grabbed her head, screaming.  
  
"What's going on?" Ash yelled over Emily's screams.  
  
"They've found one of 'us', and taken her into custody. Emily's trying to latch onto her mind, but it may be too late to do anything for her, if this is the way she's reacting." was the man's reply.  
  
"Is she...dead?" Ash asked, as Emily stopped screaming, and began to moan.  
  
"N-no," Emily replied."just in physical and mental pain."  
  
Ash was shocked.  
  
"Hold on," Emily continued. She seemed to be thinking."I'll be right back."  
  
She blinked out. Ash was left with the man, who held out his hand. Ash shook it.  
  
"I'm Alex, Emily's brother."  
  
"Hi, I'm Ash."  
  
"Yeah, I know that."  
  
"Oh." Ash said, thinking.*Another one...*"Where'd Emily 'port off to, anyway?"  
  
"She must've found a survivor." Alex shrugged. Emily teleported back, with a young woman in her arms. The young woman had blue hair.  
  
"Du...plica?" Ash asked uncertainly. 


	3. Losing control

I'd never thought I'd see the day...people like my 'weird' fic! ^_^ This ios it for a little while, though. I need time to write (this was, originally, all one document, but it was easier to break down into small parts. and now I've run out and have yet to write more ^_^;)  
Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, nor do I have anything to do with it. Ash, Pikachu, etc. are all property of other people (no matter how hard I wish...sigh...)  
  
  
"You know her?" Alex asked.  
  
"I think...so..." Ash replied."I can't remember exactly."  
  
Alex looked at him, his eyes purple.  
  
"Ah, according to what I can see in your mind, yes, you do know her." he said, turning to Emily."Is she going to be okay?"  
  
"Yes, I believe she will." Emily replied.  
  
"What is she?"  
  
"Normal and...electric." Emily frowned."An interesting combination."  
  
The woman groaned and opened her once brown eyes, which were now a muddy red and greyish yellow.  
"What happened?" she whispered, her eyes changing to silvery-grey and blue. Ash stepped closer.  
  
"Duplica?" he tried. The woman stared.  
  
"Ash? Is that you?" she asked.  
  
"My name is Ash. That and apparently your name, those are basicaly all I know." Ash shrugged.  
  
Duplica struggled up.  
"Ash, how could you forget?!" she cried. Ash frowned.  
  
"I...don't know."  
  
"Duplica," Emily interupted before the girl could yell again."please, Ash has been through a lot. He let loose an elemental tantrum so powerful that it compromised most of his memories. He might not recover them all. Most are locked away in his mind, and others were completely erased."  
  
Ash stiffened, whirling around. He listened hard, his eyes whirled a grim black and gold.  
"I hear something!" he hissed. They all froze."Hide!"  
  
They all dove inside the cave entrance, and watched. It was a trainer. Duplica started to relax, but the others didn't. There was something sinister about him. He carried a net, a coil of rope, a dagger, and a gun, as well as six black pokeballs.  
  
"He's a...bounty hunter!" Emily whispered.  
  
"A what?" Ash asked quietly.  
  
"He hunts people like us, and sells them to Team Rocket. He can detect the elements we pocess." Alex explained, putting on a pair of dark sun glasses to hide the glittering changing colours of his eyes. He handed a pair to Ash. Emily put hers on, and gave another pair to Duplica.  
  
"He's the one who caught our little brother." Emily said, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
The bounty hunter came close to the cave entrance. They all held their breaths. They were doomed! The bounty hunter smirked, and caught Duplica by the arm, dragging her out of the cave. That made Ash mad (though he didn't know why). He yelled, his eyes glowing a brilliant green, and and thrust his arms foreward. A storm of razor leaves shot towards the bounty hunter, who was no longer smirking. He dropped Duplica, trying to avoid the attack, but didn't quite manage it. The attack was followed by a fire blast. The bounty hunter screamed as it burned him to the core. Ash wasn't through. His eyes glowed a bright purple as he grabbed what was left of the bounty hunter, and teleported it somewhere. He came back, empty handed, and fell to the ground. Duplica scooted away from him.  
  
"What happened?!" she cried.  
  
"He lost control again." Emily said."He was so enraged that he couldn't help it."  
  
"We've got to train you guys properly." Alex said."There can't be anymore slips like this."  
  
He picked Ash up, and carried him back into the cave. He could apparently see in the dark, as could Emily, who led Duplica. They walked for a long time, then came to a hidden chamber. Emily conjured up a ball of flames to light the room for Duplica.  
  
"Welcome to our home." Emily said. Alex laid Ash down on one of two stone beds, covered by a thick blanket of some kind.  
  
"Ash will be alright. He'll sleep himself out." he said."That was quite an attack he gave, even for a begginer, so he's exhausted."  
  
Emily was rooting around in a trunk that was against one wall.  
  
"We're almost out of food, Alex." she said worriedly.  
  
"I'll go get some, then." Alex replied. He forced his eyes to remain one still colour (brown)."There. Got any prefrences?"  
  
"Try Pewter City. They have low prices," Emily replied, then added hopefully."and I'm partial to their rock candy..."  
  
Alex laughed.  
  
"Alright, I'll get some rock candy for you."  
  
"And search for some more of 'us', too? You never know..."  
  
"Of course." Alex replied."These attacks and round-ups are getting too frequent. I'm afraid of what's going to happen if any more are caught."  
  
He teleported away, leaving Emily to explain everything to Duplica.  
  
"That'll be $121.79, please." the cashier said to Alex. Alex forked over the money, and took the 4 bags of groceries. He left the store. There was un uneasy silence outside. As a precaution, Alex put his sunglasses back on. He was passing by the gym, when the doors burst open, and several people were dragged outside by Rockets. All but one were beaten unconcious. Alex stood watching, open mouthed. Was this a raid? Apparently, yes it was. Alex recognised the man who was left standing.  
  
"Dad!" he was yelling."Timmy! Suzie!"  
  
"Shut up!" one of the Rocket's yelled, backhanding the man. Alex rushed in to defend the young man. He attacked with psybeam. He used it with such force that all the Rockets crumpled over (and all this without relinquishing his hold on his precious groceries!). Alex grabbed the man and teleported back to Mount Silver.  
  
Duplica and Emily woke up as Alex teleported with 4 bulging bags, and an unconcious man.  
  
"Only one?" Emily asked worriedly.  
  
"He was the only one they were interested in. He reads rock and fighting." Alex replied, tired."Put the groceries away, Emily."  
  
Emily silently started putting the groceries away. Duplica, however, was staring at the man.  
  
"Brock!" she cried. Alex looked at her with his rainbow eyes.  
  
"You know him." his reply was a fact, not a question. He put Brock on the other bed and covered him."Ash not wake up yet?"  
  
"Not yet." Emily replied, shaking her head."He's cried out a lot, raving, but nothing more. Uh, that IS normal, right?"  
  
"I'm not sure..." Alex replied."Let's hope that all didn't unhinge his mind." 


	4. Ash wakes up

Very short, but it's the best I can do at the moment. Enjoy ^_^  
  
Disclaimer:Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, nor do I have anything to do with it. Ash, Pikachu, etc. are all property of other people (no matter how hard I wish...sigh...)  
  
  
  
Ash woke with a gasp. His eyes adjusted perfectly to the dark. He saw Emily stir, and walk over to him.  
  
"Are you feeling better, Ash?" she asked."You've been out for quite a long time. You have a fever."  
  
"I-I'm okay. Now..."  
  
"You keep losing it like that, and you'll wear yourself out."  
  
"I figured as much." Ash sighed, tiredly."How do you do it?"  
  
"Pardon me? Do what?"  
  
"How do you keep from wearing yourself out?"  
  
"I train." Emily said simply. She folded her hands in her lap.  
  
"Teach me."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Teach me how to control my powers, Emily."  
  
"Very well. But," Emily said."only when you've recovered sufficiently. Get some actual sleep, and then we'll start your training."  
  
Ash lay back down, and drifted off into a more peaceful slumber.  
  
  
  
Brock groaned. He had a splitting headache.  
  
"So, you're awake."  
  
Brock looked up. Duplica was leaning against a wall, holding a ball of flames gingerly. Her eyes were shifting between shades of pink and golden yellow.  
  
"Duplica? What are you doing here? How? What IS this place?"  
  
"Some cave." Duplica replied."In Mt.Silver."  
  
"Mt.Silver??"  
  
"Yeah. We were brought here."  
  
"By who?"  
  
"Us."  
  
Brock turned, and saw a man and a woman, sitting across the cave. He gaped at the woman, and blushed.  
  
*Don't even think about it, buster!*  
  
Brock blinked.  
  
*Yeah, I'm psychic!* the woman glared.  
  
"Emily?"  
  
The woman turned towards the other bed. In the dim light emitted from the ball of flames, he could see a yound man, with unruly black hair, and eyes that whirled a steady red, gold and brown. Emily walked over to him, and felt his brow.  
  
"You feel much cooler now, Ash."  
  
"Ash?" Brock asked.  
  
The young man turned his gaze to Brock. He seemed to be thinking.  
  
"Brock, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ah. Just checking." Ash shrugged. Duplica explained to Brock about Ash's memory problems. Brock nodded understandingly.  
  
"Ash? You've been dreaming." Emily said."I didn't ask before about it, nor did I decide to 'peek'. Could you tell us what your dream was about?"  
  
Ash's brow creased.  
  
"Well..." 


	5. I don't want to remember

This is short, but it's the best I can do while the computer I normally use is reformatted (grr...)  
Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine. there. I hate writting disclaimers...  
  
  
  
"It was..." Ash said, then gestured helplessly.  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
"It was chaos. There was screaming...yes, screaming. It was very loud. All around me. I think people were dying. I didn't even care. I don't think I liked these people, anyway. And there was fire. It was very hot. It burned. And I was angry, very angry. I don't know why. I-I think...I was..." Ash tried to make sense of it all. Then he realised something."I caused the...chaos..."  
  
The silence, this time, was shocked. Then Emily spoke up.  
  
"You're starting to remember, Ash." she said. Ash looked shocked.  
  
"I-I don't want to!" he said. Alex and Emily looked at him in sympathy.  
  
"You have to, but we won't push you." Alex said."It'll be hard enough on you without added stress. Just take your time."  
  
"You guys don't need to know!" Ash said bitterly.  
  
"That's right, we don't." Emily said."But YOU do. You need to remember, so you can understand it all yourself."  
  
"I don't want to understand it." Ash snapped. He stood abruptly, then turned, and left the cave. Emily and Alex let him leave. Brock and Duplica looked like they wanted to follow, but Alex stopped them.  
  
"Let him go. He needs to cool off." he said.  
  
  
  
Ash wandered around the caves, stopping now and then to take out his frustration.  
  
"It's not fair!" he yelled, destroying a small boulder. It disintigrated. He watched it crumble into a small pile of dust. Several more boulders met the same fate. Wandering even further, up naturel stairs, and pausing to admire the large pools of water, he came to a long, stone catwalk. Crossing it, he ended up in a large chamber, with a big, raised up plateau in the middle.  
  
"Hmm," he murmured. He sat down on the edge of the plateau. It made a great place to think. Suddenly, a memory fragment flashed across his mind. It was quick, but he caught it: a firey haired woman, whose ocean coloured eyes snapped and sparked at him. The light was behind her, giving the impression of a bright aura.  
  
"Who...is she?" Ash muttered to himself."Do I...know her?" he stood."I have to find out. I want to know this firey angel." 


	6. More of us?

Again, another short one...but, it's the best I can do for now.  
  
Disclaimer:...I don't own and/or have anything to do with Pokemon...  
  
  
  
Ash walked back to the main chamber, where the others were waiting, his  
clothes covered in the tell-tale remains of rock dust. Brock and Duplica  
looked quickly at him, but his eyes were a lazy, neutral grey. Brock sighed  
with relief, then turned back to Alex.  
  
"So, you were saying...?"  
  
"That...people like us, are drawn to one another during our lives. So, if you've met each other, and you're all the same, chances are that anyone else that you were aquainted with...are the same, too."  
  
Alex let that sink in.  
  
"So..." Brock said."Just any of them?"  
  
"Not exactly." Emily explained."We tend to cling to one another, because we are the same. So, it's people we spend the most time around, and keep coming back for more."  
  
"So, that's why I got so attatched to Ash..." Duplica said.  
  
"And the same with Misty." Brock added. He looked at Ash."She was very clingy with him."  
  
Ash's eyes whirled curiously with green and blue. He didn't know who this 'Misty' was...he tried to picture what she might look like. He thought of grey eyes, pale skin, and light blue hair when he thought of the name Misty.  
  
All this time, the others were watching to see if he showed any signs of remembering Misty. Ash dismissed his thoughts, uninterested, his eyes returning to grey. He was puzzled at the disapointed looks the others gave him. They went back to the conversation.  
  
"Can you think of anyone else?" Alex asked."They may need protection."  
  
"Well, sure, lots of people." Brock shrugged.  
  
"Well, who most of all?" Emily prompted.  
  
"Well, besides Misty, maybe that guy...Tracey, and Gary." Brock thought."Oh, and Ritchie...And prof.Oak and Ash's mom."  
  
Alex and Emily nodded. Duplica looked at Brock, puzzled.  
  
"Why them?"  
  
"Because they have connections to Ash, and a lot of other people like us." Brock explained."It's probably not a good thing to leave them unprotected."  
  
"What about your family?" Duplica asked. Brock panicked.  
  
"Don't worry." Alex said."I've taken care of it. Those Rockets have probably woke up by now...minus a few memories, of course."   
  
Brock looked relieved.  
  
"Thanks, Alex."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Brock turned to Ash, then blinked. Ash was curled up on one of the beds, fast asleep. Brock turned back to Alex.  
  
"He sleeps a lot, doesn't he?"  
  
"It's a side effect of having all the Elemental powers." Alex said."Normally, if he had only one or two like you, he would be okay starting off. But since he has all of them, and he's so new at this, it's putting a lot of strain on him. The best way to deal with it is to sleep, because it's restful."  
  
*Goodnight, Ash.* Emily sent to the sleeping figure.*Sleep well.*  
  
*thank you, Emily.* came the faint, sleepy reply.*I will."  
  
Emily smiled. 


	7. And now we train

Ash spent the next week in training. Brock and Duplica got worn out by just watching him.  
  
"He's got more energy than I do." Duplica complained, exausted by merely using one of her powers, just once.  
  
"He's...special..." Emily said.  
  
Ash was concentrating really hard while working with his fire power. He pushed himself to the edge of his tolerance, and shaped the burning inferno into a tornado with a twist of his fingers, forming a fist. It brought an image to his mind so sharply that he gasped, and the flames wavered, then dispersed with a whoosh of heat.  
  
"Burning..." he murmered."Everything..."  
  
Iritated, he walked over to the water, and splashed some on his face. It was icy cold, and brought him completely to his senses. His sharp hearing told him someone was behind him. He whirled quickly, and saw Emily.  
  
"I thought you might like someone to train with." she said, idly tossing a fireball between her hands.  
  
Ash smiled playfully, and built up a fireball of his one, slightly larger than Emily's. He grasped it in both hands, and hurled it at the floor. The fireball exploded on contact, raining embers everywhere, and filling the cavern with smoke.  
  
"Just because I can't see you, Ash, doesn't mean I can't find you!" Emily called, her eyes glowing purple. She started to move to the side where Ash was taking refuge. Ash saw this through the smoke, and used his version of faint attack to move to the wall behind Emily. She whirled, sensing the change imediately. Ash quickly shifted his feet to the wall, and used it to launch himself, fists covered with flames, at Emily.  
  
"You wanna play with me," he said, jabbing and punching."you have to play rough!"  
  
Emily covered her fists with crackling electricity, and started to deal out her own attacks.  
  
"You're pretty good, Ash." she said, blocking his next punch with her crossed wrists.  
  
"Thanks. You, too." was Ash's reply as he thrust his flaming fists left and right. They were now just a few yards away from each other. They both launched themselves at the same time, fists outstretched...  
  
Ash's right fist made direct contact with Emily's, causing a small explosion which knocked Emily back against the wall, and Ash into the water.  
  
The shock of icy water took Ash's breath away, but soothed his burning battle heat. He surfaced, with Emily standing over him.  
  
"Thanks for the practice, Emily." he said, shaking out his hair. He pulled himself out of the water."I think I'll work on something a little more tame tomorrow, though."  
  
"Had enough for today?" Emily inquired. Ash nodded.  
  
"I think I'll go and see how Brock and Duplica are doing." he said, wandering away from his training cavern. Emily followed.  
  
Duplica was having a hard time controlling her powers. She was ok with her normal powers, but when she tried her electric powers...Alex gave her the nickname 'Pichu'. She couldn't use the powers without shocking herself. Even then, she hit her targets less than half the time.  
  
"That element is working against her." Alex said, exasperated."It must be one she aquired, rather than was infected with. Either that, or she's using way too much power. Why else would she be hurting herself with her own elements?"  
  
"You've got a point." Emily said, crossing her arms and leaning against the cave wall with Ash.  
  
Brock was having a little more success. He was using both his powers at the same time; he would create a small rockfall, then crosschoped each one into dust, take a break, and start over again.  
  
'To each their own style, I guess.' Ash observed silently.  
  
When Duplica had both shocked and knocked herself out for the zillionth time, Ash decided to help. He healed Duplica, then hauled her up, and turned her towards the targets. He stood behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Now attack." he said.  
  
"No, I can't do it!" Duplica cried.  
  
"Yes, you can, so do it!" Ash said impatiently.  
  
Duplica swallowed, held out her hands, aimed, and attacked with a fury of electricity. This time, however, Duplica didn't shock herself. Ash absorbed the excess electricity that Duplica generated, allowing Duplica to form what was left into a small bolt which hit her target.  
  
"I did it!" she cried.  
  
"I told you so." Ash said, rubbing his hands, which were tingling."That was powerful stuff, though. I think Alex is right. You're using too much power. I think you may be over-doing it. Why don't you take a break, and I'll help you start out with the small stuff, ok?"  
  
"Thanks, Ash." Duplica said, and went to sit beside Brock. Ash went to lean with Emily again.  
  
"Are you ok?" Emily asked.  
  
"Just a bit dizzy." Ash said, brushing that off.  
  
"I think you absorbed too much of Duplica's electricity." Alex said."Why don't you go lay down?"  
  
"But, Duplica's training-" Ash protested, gesturing to the blue-haired girl.  
  
"Can wait." Alex said, giving Ash a shove towards the sleeping chamber."You can't do anything if you get sick, and that's what will happen if you don't rest after a major absorbtion like that. Think about Pikachu."  
  
Ash realised that Alex had picked that up from his mind. All the times Pikachu had got sick from having too much electricity in his body.  
  
"Ok, I'll go and rest."  
  
Ash stumbled back to bed, glad he had gone. It was getting increasingly hard to walk. He was becoming tired, fast. He curled up on his side on his bed, and closed his eyes.  
  
And then...  
  
He dreamed. 


	8. Getting to the root of it

Took me long enough to update, eh? I hope this is worthy of taking so long to write *bows humbly* Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: [Insert favorite disclaimer here]  
  
Ash found himself in a corridor of some sort. People wandered by him, without even noticing he was there. He looked around, feeling as if he should remember this place. It felt strange to be here.  
  
Ash caught a strange movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned quickly. Something was wrong. Something was here that shouldn't be. And he knew what it was.  
  
His eyes followed a man in a long coat. Under the coat, the man's clothes were black. As he passed Ash, his coat parted long enough for Ash to see something suspicious.  
  
It was big.  
  
It was red.  
  
It was an 'R'.  
  
Ash knew that 'R' stood for Rocket, and that Rocket meant enemy. His blood began to boil with uncontrollable rage. He thrust out his hands, intending to roast this man alive.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Ash stared at his hands. No flames. Not even a little one. He tried again. Still nothing. His powers didn't work here, and he didn't know why. A quick glance at a nearby desk stopped him dead in his tracks. It wasn't the desk itself that had stopped Ash. It was the calander.  
  
The date was wrong.  
  
Ash frowned, his eyes a-whirl with puzzlement. How could the date be wrong? It made no sense to him.  
  
According to this calander, it was almost a decade and a half previous to the date he knew to be right.  
  
It hit him like a ton of Geodudes.  
  
He didn't exist. He wasn't born yet. Was he?  
  
He had no time to think about it further, for he had to lunge after the man to keep up with him. Just as his fingertips were within an inch or so of grabbing hold of the man's coat...  
  
Ash sat up, drenched in sweat. His breathing came in harsh gasps, as he stared blankly at the rock wall in front of him.  
  
What WAS that? That dream...was it some kind of memory? Or hallucination? was he feverish still? Or maybe this was a by-product of eating Pewter City rock candy before napping? Something about it was bothering him.  
  
Ash drew his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. A frown creased his face as he tried to recall just what was puzzling him. Something about that date...the year, certainly. He hadn't seen the month or day, though. He wished he had; it could've helped him immensely.  
  
Ash sighed, and swung his legs over the edge or the rock ledge bed. Running his hand through his damp hair, he stood, and began to pace the cave.  
  
After a few minutes of trying, he gave up. Whatever else it was that was making him uneasy, it eluded him yet. And it was no use in racking his brain for an answer that just wasn't there, right. A sudden loud growling made him realise that he was hungry. Ravenous. Starving.  
  
The others looked up as Ash stumbled into the kitchen cave. Brock was stiring a pot of what looked like stew.  
  
"Sleep well?" Duplica asked. Ash ignored her, and made a bee-line for Brock, leaning over his shoulder.  
  
"Fooooooooooood..." he said, desperately. Brock rubbed his shoulder.  
  
"Stop drooling on me!" he complained, shoving a bowl of stew into Ash's hands. He blinked as it rapidly disapeared, and Ash was licking the bowl clean, litterally.  
  
"What do you expect?" Emily said, amused."He slept through breakfast and lunch. And with his powers the way they are, he needs extra nourishment."  
  
"Breakfast AND lunch?" Ash asked, pausing from demolishing his second portion or stew.  
  
"Mm-hm." Alex nodded."we decided not to wake you." he paused."Feelin' better?"  
  
"I guess so." Ash shrugged, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"Dream this time?"  
  
"A little. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You've got that look in your eye again." Alex replied."Care to share?"  
  
Ash shook his head violently. He set aside his stew, and his eyes began to shift with stormy black and grey, with a hint of dark blue.  
  
"You don't have to, Ash." Emily said."Especially if you're uncomfortable, or just not ready. Mull it over for awhile, and when you want to talk, we will."  
  
Ash nodded, then attacked the rest of his dinner with renewed energy. the others watched him curiously, but after a few minutes they gave up, and turned their attention back to their food.  
  
After dinner, Brock was cleaning up, and Alex and Duplica went back to training. Ash waited until Emily was alone before deciding to talk to her. He found her rumaging through her trunk.  
  
"Emily?" he asked, hesitently. Emily stopped what she was doing, and slowly stood, turning to face him. She looked deeply, searchingly into his eyes.  
  
"So." she said. Ash nodded, and gestured for her to follow him.  
  
Ash led Emily back to 'his' plateau.  
  
""Nice place you have here." Emily said.  
  
"It's a good place for thinking." Ash replied, with a small shrug.  
  
"What's on your mind?" Emily asked, sitting down on the edge of the plataeu.  
  
"It's about my dream..." Ash said. Seeing him hesitate, Emily gestured for him to continue.  
  
Ash explained everything to Emily. She watched him closely, watching his expressions changing; worried, confused, angry, frustrated, upset...She listened carefully to everything he said, disregarding nothing.  
  
"The date, that bothered you the most?" Emily asked.  
  
"Well, somewhat." Ash frowned."You see, that's the year I was born."  
  
"Ahh..." Emily nodded.  
  
"I didn't see the month or day. So...I don't know if I'm born then, or not." Ash explained, running his hand through his hair in frustration.  
  
"Did you try getting a closer look?" Emily asked.  
  
"I can do that?" ash was startled.  
  
"Of course." Emily nodded."It's your dream. A normal human wouldn't be able to. But, because of who and what you are, you can."  
  
"I wish I'd known that before." Ash scowled.  
  
"Well, next time, try it." Emily suggested.  
  
"But what if I don't dream the same thing again?" Ash cried, his eyes wide and blue, shot through with panicky purple. Emily was silent for a long time.  
  
"That does present a problem." she finally said."Will you let me try something?"  
  
"What?" Ash asked, warily.  
  
"One of my powers...I don't use it often. if you'd like, I could attempt it."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I want to try and 'initiate' your dream."  
  
"Uh...um, what does that mean?" Ash asked, nervously."And does it hurt?"  
  
Emily burst out laughing.  
  
"No, it doesn't hurt." she laughed, wiping a tear from her eye."At least, it shouldn't. It's a kind of connection between minds. I would sift through your memories and dreams, and find the one you're looking for. the rest is up to you. I would help to stabilize you, mind and body, so the dream lasts longer and you get the information you seek. And if you appear to be in severe distress, I'll pull back out and wake you up."  
  
Ash thought it over carefully.  
  
"Alright." he said finally."Might as well. After all, what's there to loose?"  
  
Emily smiled.  
  
"Right." she said."Sit."  
  
She had him lay back, his head in her lap. She placed her hands gently on either side of his head.  
  
"Relax." she told him."If you're too tense, it won't work. Breathe deeply."  
  
Ash forced himself to relax and breathe deeply as Emily said to.  
  
"Look at me, Ash." Emily said gently. Ash slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. Emily's eyes were glowing a soft purple.  
  
*Sleep now.* her voice whispered in his mind.*Be at peace, little one, sleep.*  
  
Ash briefly fought the overwhelming urge to sleep, but soon gave in. His eyes fluttered closed.  
  
After a minute, Ash opened his eyes again. He wasn't in the cave with Emily anymore. No, he was back in the corridor. He took a cautious step towards the desk. He really could move around where he wanted to. He quickly crossed the corridor to the desk, and snatched up the calander. Then almost dropped it.  
  
Same year as he was born, yes. And according to this, he was only a few days old!  
  
Tossing the calander back onto the desk, Ash waited for the man in black, the Rocket, to show up. He glanced around curiously. he still didn't know what this place was. Doors lined the corridor. One was slightly ajar. Ash started to walk towards it, but the Rocket came into view, and Ash gave chase.  
  
This time, he was able to follow farther than before. The Rocket briskly walked to the end of the corridor, looked around cautiously, then slipped through a door. Ash followed. The Rocket was muttering to himself.  
  
"Damn it, why did I get stuck with this mission?" he grumbled, shifting something hidden beneath his coat."And he wanted to test this stuff so badly, why didn't he come here and do it himself!"  
  
Ash didn't like the sound of that. Again, he tried to grab the coat, but it was just out of reach. They were at the top of the stairs now. The Rocket exited through a door, with Ash not far behind.  
  
Ash blinked. They were on the roof of this building. The Rocket was pulling out a map. Ash read over his shoulder.  
  
"..." Ash gulped, reading the title. Suddenly, everything began to fade. 


End file.
